Mary Weld (Turner) Burch (1827-1903)

Her divorce in 1860 made headlines across the country. Her husband sued her on the grounds of adultery. Mrs. Burch asked for the trial to be held in Naperville to prevent Cook County judges from being swayed by her influential husband. Mary Burch’s uncle, the industrialist and New York congressman Erastus Corning, supported his niece. During the month-long trial, Isaac Burch accused his popular society hostess wife of committing infidelity with former Michigan congressman David Stuart and others. Mary Burch claimed her husband was “enamored with a fascinatress” staying as a guest in their family home, and that he indulged in extreme cruelties, including extorting a false confession from her. In the end, the jury found in favor of Mary Burch. She successfully sued Isaac Burch for divorce in 1863. He subsequently left for Europe with their elder daughter, Mary, who would become the wife of the Prime Minister of France.